What the hell happened?

Number of miles I drove on I-80 in Iowa: Appx. 50
Number of vehicles I saw in ditches: 24
Number of vehicles that were semis: 2
Number of vehicles that were flipped over: 2 1/2

The one half is what appeared to be the roof and side panels of a conversion van. Something else was beside it. I really couldn't tell, I went by too quickly.

Note: This number may not be indicative of actual total, as the ditches to either side of the road were often deep, and cars could have been hidden entirely from view.

On other news, I got my domain back! You may have noticed that for a while, I was advertising for apartments in Chicago. This is because my domain expires every year on 11/28. This year that just happened to be the day after Thanksgiving, I got distracted, and I lost my domain for a while. Too much money got it back for me, and I'll be more careful in the future. I've had this domain for years. At least 4. I'm not giving it up, dammit. Not until I'm ready.

On a final note, tomorrow is Christmas. I hope everyone reading this is safe and warm and surrounded by family, friends and loved ones. Merry Christmas!

I am tired.

Back at work after a largely unsatisfying lunch that I am struggling to adapt to and love. (Frozen dinner of the low-cal lasagna variety, with a cheese-stuffed bread stick in to make the meal palatable since I am currently out of non-fat cottage cheese. Look at all the hyphens!) Still, even after an unsatisfactory lunch, I am sleepy and ready for a nap. Work does not allow for these, so I am sitting here yawning and looking forward to 9:30 pm, when I can retire to bed. I will probably not be tired anymore at that point.

I made the trek to IA without any flat tires this time. My sister, however, got a flat tire on her way up. I am somewhat sorry (but not very) to pass on the baton. I am also tired of paying for new tires. Instead, my stereo started to fail. It make loud, piercing shrieks, spat out static, crackled and popped like a bowl of Rice Krispies. This sent me into a panic. I had a book on tape that I was listening to, and it made the long-ish drive seem less awful. My backup was NPR, and if that was lost to me as well, what would I do? Frantic switching of the knob righted things whenever they went wrong, however, and the trip went by without any further incident. The trouble is intermittent at this point, but a replacement will be necessary soon. I think I'll get something fancy. Reasonably priced, but fancy. I deserve it.

What else? Oh, I don't know... fall is in the air in the Twin Cities today and I love it. Summer is a bore, I'm so glad a season that does something is on the way. I am itchy to wear long sleeves to ward off the chill, to relish a hot cup of coffee in the morning the way you do when the cup heats your hands. Summer is hot and sticky and uncomfortable. I love being warm and toasty and cozy, and fall brings that with it. I just wish I had a damn fireplace.

There's no unicorns, but...

The sky was a strange color - I almost missed the rainbow at first.

WTF, Weather?!?

This Afternoon: Rain, mixing with snow after 4pm. High near 37. Breezy, with a east northeast wind between 23 and 26 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Tonight: Snow. Low around 31. Blustery, with a east northeast wind between 22 and 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

Friday: Snow. High near 34. Breezy, with a northeast wind around 22 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Friday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 27. Blustery, with a north wind between 22 and 24 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Excess is the new moderation

Absolutely gorgeous weekend. The sun is shining (for now, anyway - it's due to start raining soon, and there may be hail along with it), it's warm for the first time this year... and I have wasted all the sunshine, choosing instead to do a little spring cleaning. The obsessive, scrubbing the walls and washing curtains and vacuuming under the couch before you shampoo the carpet kind of cleaning. I sure know how to have a good time.

My windows are open at the moment, letting the fresh air blow in, and you can smell a hint of rain. Spring is so welcome right now. I'm sure I say this every singl year around this time, but I really love spring. I love the vivid green that springs up everywhere, I love the flowers and the new leaves on the trees - the smell of fresh-cut grass is one my my favorite things. I just want to go outside and read a book, soak up the sunshine. There's certain music that only feels right on a sunny spring day, I can drive with the windows down again, I can wear tank tops again... I am positively giddy.

I'm super-pissed about Heroes being on hiatus for so damn long, though. What kind of bullshit is this? I want to watch my damn show. Thank god House comes back this week. I get cranky when I am not entertained in a manner of my choosing. So... yeah, I think that's it for now. I'll be back to bitch about something else before too long, I'm sure.

10 inches!

Of snow. Maybe another 1 to 3 today, although it looks sketchy. Finally, a decent snowfall, although it's not going to shut things down tomorrow. Blah. I would have liked to have a snow day. i am safely holed up in the apartment, loaded up on snacky junk foods (I have already eaten half a loaf of garlic bread - YUM) and i have cable tv. All in all, not a bad weekend, i must say.

You can surely see your breath in Hell.

For those of you who are not stationed securely in the North, allow me to enlighten you: it is cold here. I know, you're saying to yourself "Well yeah, you live up north, it gets cold in the winter." Well, there's cold and then there's -2 for a high, and that's not factoring in the windchill which makes the temp feel closer to -20. Now, I love me some winter. I love to bundle up in sweats and thick socks, I love wrapping up in a blanket and feeling the warmth from my coffee mug seep into my cold hands. You couldn't get me to live anywhere that it doesn't snow. But this - holy crap!! I experience this kind of cold at least once every winter, but I have a short memory, so - Holy Crap! I'm frickin' freezing here. I know Phil supposedly didn't see his shadow this year... Spring, plz? Or at least something in the 20s?

In other news, I am so geekily into heroes that I went to the website and "applied" for a job at Primatech. I track people down on Tuesday morning and giddily speculate about the latest developments. I also get online during the show and take part in the whole Heroes 360 experience. I <3 this show, and if you're not watching it, you should be. Hiro and his love of waffles alone is well worth it.

It feels like spring.

I know what you're thinking. It's the middle of January, it's 24 degrees out there right now. Spring is at least 2 and a half months away. But the sky is clear and blue, and it's a very warm 24 degrees. I can't say why, but something in my head sees this and interprets it as spring. I will come crashing back to reality tomorrow when it snows again, I'm sure. But for today, the hint of spring feels nice.

It's been a tough week for a couple people I know. If you happen to see this, please know that I am thinking of you and wishing you well. It's going to get easier, I promise. If you ever need to talk, you know how to get a hold of me. ~Bundles~

(Look, Nerdette! Aren't you proud of me? This is almost regular updating here.)

Son Of A Bitch

I can't believe it's gonna frigging snow again. 6-10 inches tonight, they're saying. Just yesterday we saw 50 degrees and sunshine. I want Spring, dammit, not more Winter. Why does Nature not bend to my will?